Previews

Eastside Hockey Manager 2005

The NHL season may have been iced, but it doesn't have to stay that way with the latest version of Sports Interactive's hockey sim.

Spiffy:

A complete hockey universe at your fingertips.

Iffy:

Might even be too much information to sift through for the casual fan.

OK, so hockey isn't a very hot topic right now. In fact, the slogan, "The Coolest Game on Earth" has never seemed more appropriate. With the season cancelled and labor talks still pretty much at a standstill, the idea of a text-based hockey game might not make a sports fan all tingly with anticipation. Sports Interactive is hoping you can put your bitterness with the league on hold for a while in order to check out its latest ultra-detailed (and borderline sadistically meticulous) management sim.

Eastside Hockey Manager 2005 is slated for a summer release, and after playing a late beta version of the game, it's obvious that this is a hockey game for real hockey enthusiasts. It has everything: finances, tons of player ratings, game tactics, highly detailed contracts, reams of stats, several levels of minor leagues and junior hockey -- it's all there.

The interface is similar to SI soccer masterpiece, Championship Manager. Also in line with SI's soccer gem is that you can play in a vast number of leagues from the NHL to a smorgasbord of foreign leagues. In fact, EHM has 15 leagues, 3,200 teams, and over 32,000 real players. Yes, 32,000 players, all meticulously rated and evaluated.

New features for the 2005 version include a highly anticipated 2D match engine. During a game, you're presented with a text play-by-play of what is going on, but in addition to this, you see a miniature hockey rink with small player icons showing you where the action is taking place. Watching games this way is surprisingly addictive; it's not NHL 2K5, but it gets the job done and it's amazing how exciting watching little 2D figures move around a small ice rink can be. The games take a while when you slow down the play-by-play, but if you want to zip right through the games you can do it in a matter of seconds when you set the speed to "fast."

The match engine also allows you to surf around the league while your game is being played. Let's say it's a boring 5-1 game in the 2nd period -- you can switch views and check out potential trades for the stiff you've got in goal, and while you are doing this you still can see a text readout of the current game at the bottom of the screen.

Training camp is a new feature that adds another layer of depth to the game. The camps have a regimented schedule from basic workouts to exhibition games. During this stage of the game players develop, get in shape, etc. You also get reports from your staff as to how certain players are doing. Some unheralded walk-on might be showing you that he deserves a roster spot, while maybe a veteran is loafing and needs you to give him a swift kick in the rear. You also get to study inter-squad scrimmages from camp to see how your players are comparing to one another. Training camp also forces you to make player cuts, which is easier said than done if you have players performing well that aren't as highly rated as others who have been slacking during camp. It's just another way EHM sucks you into its very active hockey world.
Other new features include an improved scouting system (with more attributes as well as hints as to how to use a player); you also get to assign team scouts to a certain region of the world to search for young diamonds in the rough, as well as players that might fit best into your team's system. There are also more coaching and player records, an improved database which loads information a bit quicker on less-than-fast PCs, and a streamlined interface that is a lot more user friendly than previous editions.

On top of this, Eastside Hockey Manager 2005 will also include full multiplayer support so other players can also take part in this complete and total world of hockey. The game's due this summer, and if you ever dreamed of really jumping head first into a hockey GM's shoes, then EHM 2005 is a game to keep you're eyes on. If you can get past the sheer amount of stuff that there is to look at and survey, Eastside Hockey might be the cure for those that are missing their favorite game.